Two-piece rail anchor



July 17, 1962 P. s. MARGRAF TWO-PIECE RAIL ANCHOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 19, 1960 INVENTOR.

July 17, 1962 P. s. MARGRAF TWO-PIECE RAIL ANCHOR Filed Dec. 19, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United. States 3,044,710 TWO-PIECE RAIL ANCHOR Philbert S. Margraf, Eilrhart, Ind, assignor to Poor & Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 76,560 3 Claims. (Cl. 238-327) The present invention is directed to a two-piece rail anchor device adapted to clamp the base portion of a railroad rail in a position to abut against an underlying crosstie or the trackway so as to resist longitudinal creeping movement of the rail relative to the crosstie.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a rail anchor device of the above general class with simplified improvements whereby the anchor device may be readily applied to rail bases of different size classifications without overflexing any part of the device when it is applied to such rail bases.

The improved anchor device, according to the present invention, is composed of a U-shaped rail gripping memher and a retaining member for holding the U-shaped member clamped on the rail base. The said U-shaped member is formed with upper and lower jaws which are adapted to have rigid wedging engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of a rail base flange at one side of the rail. The retaining member includes a resilient arm which is formed at one end to effect a resilient interlocking engagement with the U-shaped member and is formed at the other end with a pair of spaced apart upwardly projecting lugs for effecting locking engagement with vertical edge faces of rail bases of different width to which the anchor device may be applied.

Other objects and advantages, not at this time enumerated, will be made apparent during the further description of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown'in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved anchor device of this invention applied to a railway rail base portion of a predetermined size classification; the rail base being shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 1 looking toward one end portion of the anchor;

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation showing the rail anchor device illustrated in FIG. 1 applied toa railway rail base of a larger size classification than is shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 4.

Referring first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings: 14} designates the base portion of a railroad rail of one size classification, 11 an underlying wooden crosstie, and 12 designates a conventional form of tie plate interposed between the top surface of the crosstie and the bottom surface of the rail base 10. The tie plate 12 is provided with a pair of spaced apart shoulders 13 which define a seat of appropriate width to receive the base of the rail, the said tie plate and the rail base being secured in their operative positions by means of fastening spikes 1414 which are driven into the crosstie 11 through openings 15 formed in the tie plate.

The preferred form of rail anchor device as shown herein comprises a U-shaped rail gripping element designated generally by the reference numeral 16. This element includes a bottom web 17 and upwardly extending arms 18-49. The forward edges of the said arms 18-19 are formed with notches which correspond in size and shape to the thickness and contour of the marginal portion of one flange of the base 10 and thereby provides each arm 18 and 19 with upper and lower jaws 2021. The U-shaped member is adapted to- -be driven transversely of the rail to its applied position thereon wherein the said faces, respectively, of said rail base.

3,044,710 Patented July 17, 1962 "ice jaws have flat rigid contact with the top and bottom sur- There are many rai-l bases of different'size classifications which have longitudinal edge portions of like thickness, for example the thickness shown at A in FIG. 1. The U-shaped member 16 will fit all of such rail bases in the same manner as shown in FIG. 1, since the top surface 22 of most rail bases are inclined at the conventional angle of 14 relative to the bottom face of the rail base. Therefore, the rail gripping jaws 20 and 21 can be applied to rail bases of various size classifications without over-expansion of the jaws. In the event that the dimension A of a rail base is greater than shown in FIG. 1 the jaws 2021 can be applied thereto, since the spacing 23 will vary to accommodate rail bases in which the dimension A is slightly greater than that shown in FIG. 1.

The slots forming the jaws 20 and 21 are so formed that when the gripping member 16 is applied to a rail base the lower web 17 of the gripping member will extend at an tangle'of approximately 45 to the bottom face of the rail base.

The rail gripping member 16 is held in its rail gripping position by means of a retaining member 24 which is resiliently interlocked with the gripping member 16 at one side of the rail and also has a locking engagement with the vertical edge face 25 of the rail base flange at the other side of the rail. The said retaining member 24- is made preferably of spring metal and includes an arm 25 which extends across beneath the rail base and is bowed downwardly as indicated at 26 with respect to the base. One end of the arm 25 is provided with a return bend which forms an elongated loop 27. The upper and lower portions 28 and 29 of said loop define a resilient wedge which contacts the lower corner 36" of the rail base flange 31 and also contacts the inclined face 32 of the bottom web 17 of the rail gripping member 16. The terminal end 33 of the loop 27 is turned upwardly'to bear against the downwardly bowed portion of the resilient arm 25 and also has contact at 34 with the inclined face 32 of the bottom web 17 of said rail gripping member 16. The loop portion 27 of the retaining member 24 is held clamped between the upwardly extending arms 18-19 of the nail gripping member 16 but with capacity for a limited lengthwise movement of the loop through the member 16. The clamped engagement of the loop 27 between the said arms 18-19 of the rail gripping member is effected by displacement of the said arms13-19-inwardly toward each other so that the spacing between these arms, before the loop 27 of the retaining member 24 is inserted therein is less than the width of the retaining member. Consequently, when the loop portion of the retaining member is positioned between the arms 1819 there exerts a lateral clamping action on the loop. The limitation to the lengthwise movement of the loop 27 and consequently the movement of the retaining member 24 as a whole through the U-shaped member 16 is effected by means of the contact of the lower portion 29 of the loop at the point 34 on the bottom web 32 of the member 16 together with the engagement of the upper portion 28 of the loop aaginst the lower corner portion 30 of the rail base flange 31. Further interlocking engagement of the loop 27 with the rail gripping member' 16 is effected by forming the arms 18-19 of the rail gripping member with indentations '35, 36 and 37 which form protuberances 3 36' and 37 which project over the edges of the upper and lower portions 2829 of the loop.

The outer end of the retaining member 24 is provided with a pair of spaced apart upwardly projecting lugs 33 and 39. The inner lug 38 is of less height than the outer lug 39 and is positioned to engage the vertical edge face 25 of the rail base 10 when the anchor is applied to a smaller size rail base such as shown in FIG. 1. In

such installation, the top face of the resilient arm 25 bears fiat against the bottom surface of the rail base as shown at 25. The said lugs 3839 are formed preferably by simplified upsetting and forging operations which simultaneously form a clearance recess 4% below the lower corner of the rail base adjacent the lug 35 and also provides a channel 41 extending transversely of the retaining member between the lugs 38 and The said channel 41 provides a clearance space beneath the lower corner of a larger size rail base when the anchor is applied thereto and thereby insures proper engagement of the lug 39 with an edge face of the larger size rail base. The lug 39 is also preferably formed to incline inwardly at an angle to the lug 38 so that the inner face 42 of the higher lug 39 will have fiat bearing contact against the vertical edge face of a rail base of greater width classification than the rail base shown in FIG. 1. The anchor device is applied as a unit to a bail base, for example rail base it), by inserting the jaws 2f:2i of the gripping member i6 over the edge of a rail base flange at one side of the rail. During this initial position the lug 38 will bear against the bottom surface of the rail base at a location near the vertical edge 25 of the base. The rail gripping member 15 is then driven onto the rail base by applying impact force to the gripping member in the region of the upper corner 42 until the jaws 2i-2ft have the desired gripping engagement on the rail base. Impact force is then applied to the curved outer end of the loop 27 so as to force the lower member 29 thereof upwardly on the inclined surface 32 of the bottom web of the gripping member 16 and consequently compress the loop 27 between the point 34 of the web 17 and the lower corner 30 of the rail base until the lug 26 snaps up into locking engagement with the vertical surface 25 of the rail base. in the event that there is a slight increase in the width of the rail base such as is normally contemplated by the rolling mill tolerance, the downwardly bowexl arm 25 will be forced upwardly toward the rail base to increase the effective length of the retainting member 24 and thereby facilitate engagement of the lug 38 with the edge surface 25 of the rail base it Referring now to FIGS. 4 and wherein the rail anchor device shown in FIG. 1 is applied to a larger size rail base: In this installation, the rail base is designated 18a and the tie plate underlying the rail base is designated 12a since these members are of different size than the corresponding elements shown in FIG. 1. However, all of the other elements shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 including the corresponding parts of the rail anchor device are the same as shown in FIG. 1 and are therefore identified in FIG. 4 with the same reference characters shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive. The distance B between the inner faces of the lugs 33 and 39 correspond to the difference in the width of the rail bases 1:; and 1012. Consequently when the anchor assembly is applied to the larger rail base shown in FIG. 4, the retaining member 24 is engaged in its locked position on the rail base 16a by driving it through the rail gripping member 16 in the same manner as described in connection with FIG. 1 and the loop is not subjected to appreciably greater flexing than during the installation of the anchor on the smaller base flange shown in FIG. 1. In this connection it will be observed that the arm 25 as shown in FIG. 4 is spaced downwardly from the bottom surface of the d.- rail a greater distance than shown in PEG. 1, since the lug 33 bears against the bottom face of the larger size rail base. By virtue of this position of the lug 3'6 beneath the rail base, the arm 25 is flexed downwardly relative to the base and the loop 2') is turned slightly in a clockwise direction in the rail gripping member 26 as compared with the position of the loop in PEG. 1.

Inasmuch as the edge thickness A of the rail base shown in FIG. 4 is substantially greater than the edge thickness A shown in l, the clearance 23:: between the vertical edge of the rail base and the vertical edge 42. of the jaw forming slots is somewhat greater in FIG. 4 than in FIG. 1.

While the invention has been described herein in connection with certain specific constructions, it should be understood the said constructions are for purpose of illustration and not as iirnitations. Therefore the invention contemplates all constructions coming within the terms of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A two-piece rail anchor adapted for installation on railway rails having base flanges of different size classifications, comprising a U-shaped rail gripping member including a bottom web and spaced apart arms the latter of which are formed in corresponding edges with re cesses definirn upper and lower jaws adapted to be driven transversely of a rail into fiat wedging contact with the top and bottom surface of a rail base flange at one side of the rail, and a separately formed retaining arm interlocked at one end with the U-shaped member but with capacity for limited movement relative thereto lengthwise of the arm and adapted to press resiliently against a rail base in the regions of its opposite edges and formed to press resiliently against the bottom of the rail base in the regions of its opposite edges and being formed at its outer end with a pair of logs spaced apart lengthwise of the arm and adapted, respectively, to engage vertical edge faces of railway rail base portions of different width classifications.

2. A two-piece rail anchor according to claim 1 wherein the distance between the spaced apart lugs corresponds to the difference in the width of the smaller and larger size classifications of rail bases for which the anchor is designed to fit.

3. A two-piece rail anchor according to claim 2 wherein both of said lugs project upwardly from separate junctions with the retaining arm and the inner lug is shorter than the outer lug and thereby serves, when the anchor is applied to the wider classification rail base, to exert said resilient pressure against the bottom thereof at a location spaced inwardly from the adjacent edge of the base,

nd whereby the spacing between the lugs provides a clearance space beneath the lower corner of such rail base and thereby insures firm contact of said shorter lug against the bottom surface of said base.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,746,401 Moore et al. Feb. 11, 1930 2,551,508 Skeet May 1, 1951 2,827,240 Steele et al. Mar. 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 218,786 Australia Mar. 20, 1958 

